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Kawasaki Motorcycles

About Kawasaki

Kawasaki motorcycles are manufactured by the Motorcycle & Engine division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

The Kawasaki Company was founded in 1896 by Shozo Kawasaki as a shipyard meant for building oceangoing steel ships. At the beginning they constructed marine steam turbines, locomotives, freight cars, passenger carriages and bridge girders. In 1918 the Aircraft Department is established and after prolonged research Kawasaki succeeds in building Japan's first metal aircraft. Then came 1949 and they turned towards the motorcycles industry by making engines suited for motorcycles.

Kawasaki Aircraft initially manufactured motorcycles under the Meguro name, having bought out an ailing motorcycle manufacturer called Meguro Manufacturing Co. Ltd with whom they had been in partnership earlier, but later formed Kawasaki Motor Sales. Some early motorcycles display an emblem with "Kawasaki Aircraft" on the fuel tank. Kawasaki motorcycles from 1962 through 1967 used an emblem which can be described as a flag within a wing.

Kawasaki came out with their first bike in 1954, called Meihatsu. This bike had Kawasaki's own KB-5 engine. An improved model of the Meihatsu, called Meihatsu 125 Deluxe, was introduced in 1956.

Kawasaki was producing bikes for a while without much popularity, but technically progressing. Kawasaki started to be noticed as a big player on the motorcycles market due to the release of the 500cc H1 model (also known as Mach III). In 1973 Kawasaki introduced their first superbike, the Z1 which had a 903cc engine.

One of the most notable bikes in Kawasaki history, the GPZ900R came in 1983. This was the first model ever produced by Kawasaki to have a liquid-cooled engine and to reach 250 km/h. A year later they started to sell this bike in the US and they renamed it Ninja, thing which proved to be very benefactor, registering huge sales.

Their first ever motorsports victories were obtained by Dave Simmons in the FIM World Road Racing 125cc Championship. He won the West German and the Isle of Mann TT races and the series championship riding a KR-1. Then came 1981 and Kawasaki won the manufacturer's title in the FIM World Road Racing 250cc Championship, courtesy of A. Mang who was riding the KR250. Kawasaki's most notable win in their motorsports history was the Le mans 24-Hour Race back in 1983. The model which participated in that race was the ZXR-7.

Moto blog

2010 Kawasaki Z1000 Euro Video Preview

Mon, 09 Nov 2009

News of the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 is, in the ‘Net age, kind of old news already. Yet we’ve not even seen it close up and I’m now more eager than ever to ride this nutter! During the U.S.

2010 Kawasaki Concours 14 Traction Control [video]

Thu, 29 Oct 2009

With the new Concours, Kawi created its first traction control system. Unlike the ABS, the rider can disable or enable KTRC, and can do so on the fly. The new TC system isn’t level selectable, like, say, Ducati’s DTC, and it isn’t intended to allow a rider to go faster on their Connie.

Geeky snippets ahead of the Phillip Island MotoGP

Tue, 13 Oct 2009

Valentino Rossi has finished on the podium eleven times in his twelve visits to Phillip Island across all three GP classes. The only race at Phillip Island that he did not finish in the top three was on his first visit riding a 125cc machine in 1997 when he finished sixth. In 1998 and 1999 he won the 250cc races and since then has had nine podiums in the premier-class including five victories, the last of which was in 2005.

Corbin Bleu Rides to Promote Free Style

Mon, 14 Sep 2009

If you’ve got a tween girl in your life you’re probably aware that High School Musical star Corbin Bleu has a new motocross-inspired movie “Free Style” coming out on October 9. Bleu and some of his co-stars were on hand at a Kawasaki event at Piru Motocross Park in Piru, California to promote the film and the actor/singer took to the track. Bleu got geared up and took a KLX110 and a KLX140 around the track to have a little fun.

Community Tip: How to Shave your Motorcycle Seat

Thu, 30 Jul 2009

Motorcycle communities are a huge resource for any kind of project or help you might need.  It’s incredible the amount of stuff people post and the effort they put into it! arturo3rd on Kawiforums.com posted some great tips and photos on how to shave down your motorcycle seat for a more comfortable ride. Things you’ll need: flat screwdriver pliers sharp knife(steak) rough grit sand paper staple gun I’m unsure if all motorcycle seats are made of the same material so be wary before you start if your motorcycle isn’t a Kawasaki.

Motorcycle Sidecar is Literally a Car

Tue, 21 Jul 2009

Adjectives fail me.  This almost seems like one of those sci-fi movies where an evil scientist tries to cross two deadly animals together to create the ultimate killing machine. So what are we looking at?  It seems to be the deformed love child of a Citroën Xantia and a Kawasaki 1000 RX. This custom project, called “Snaefell“, cost its creator about 15000 Euros and 10 years of part time work.

New Kawasaki Racing Widget for you Kawasaki Super Fans

Mon, 13 Jul 2009

Do you absolutely love Kawasaki?  Are you constantly trying to keep up to date with their racing team? Thanks to our recent involvement with Twitter, I’ve discovered Kawasaki’s new desktop widget to help you Kawasaki super fans stay up to date.  What is a desktop widget?  It’s just a simple program that is geared towards feeding you news and media. If you are running a Mac or PC, you can have your Kawasaki info right on your desktop, right next to your stock quotes ticker and your stash of Megan Fox pictures.

Top 10 Least Expensive (Cheapest) Motorcycle Sportbikes of 2009 by MSRP

Thu, 09 Jul 2009

Are you stuck on the idea of getting a sportbike but feeling a little light in the money clip? Luckily for you there are lots of price conscious solutions on the sportbike market. This list will give you a good idea about what kind of bike you can get for as little money as possible.

Top 10 Best Sportbikes of 2009

Tue, 23 Jun 2009

Since it’s inception Motorcycle.com Specs has been the best place for bikers and enthusiasts (like you) to voice their opinions; there has been a lot to spout-off about too! Over 528 Motorcycle models have been updated for you to review in 2009 alone. It’s great to see what the Motorcycle Community has to say about the bikes they ride.

Roger Hayden to miss Daytona 200

Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Roger Hayden will not compete in the 2009 Daytona 200 after being granted a leave of absence by the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team. Mike Preston, Kawasaki Road Racing manager, says the leave is due to personal reasons. “Roger is a valued member of the extended Kawasaki family, and the relationship is one of mutual respect and understanding.